Whitney Eagle Pocket Revolver
Whitney Arms Company · Revolver · Discontinued · 1859
Also known as: Whitney Pocket Model Revolver, Whitney 2nd Model Pocket Revolver, Whitney .31 Pocket Percussion Revolver, Whitney Eagle Company Revolver
Overview
The Whitney Eagle Pocket Revolver is a .31-caliber, five-shot, single-action cap-and-ball percussion revolver built at the Whitneyville Armory in New Haven, Connecticut. A scaled-down pocket companion to the larger Whitney Navy, it featured an octagonal barrel, a hinged loading lever, an iron frame and a brass trigger guard with two-piece walnut grips. Marked "E. WHITNEY N. HAVEN" on the barrel (some early examples carry an eagle and "EAGLE CO." marking), it was a popular Civil War-era private-purchase backup sidearm for Union officers and civilians.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 510 g (18.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 235 mm (9.25") |
| Barrel Length | 130 mm (5.12") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 200 m/s (656 fps) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | 7 Grooves |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Iron |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued With Case-Hardened Loading Lever And Hammer, Brass Trigger Guard |
Calibers
- .31 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .31 cal, .31 percussion, 7.9mm
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: 5-Round Percussion Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Hammer-Down Between Chambers
- Features: Octagonal Barrel, Loading Lever, Five-Shot Cylinder, Two-Piece Walnut Grips, Single-Action Lockwork
Production
Estimated total produced: 32,500 · Production years: 1859-1865
Approximately 32,500 produced at the Whitneyville Armory, New Haven, Connecticut, from 1859 through the mid-1860s.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Eli Whitney Jr.
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
Often cataloged by collectors as the Whitney Pocket Model or Whitney 2nd Model pocket revolver, produced in several types/variations. Octagonal barrels were offered in roughly 3 to 6 inch lengths; barrel and overall length figures here reflect a common ~5-inch example.
Background
Whitneyville, founded by cotton-gin inventor Eli Whitney and carried on by his son Eli Whitney Jr., was one of America's pioneering interchangeable-parts armories. The .31 pocket revolver gave Whitney a small-frame entry alongside its Navy revolver, riding the Civil War demand for affordable personal-defense sidearms before metallic-cartridge designs displaced the percussion era.